


The Darkness Lies Within

by creepslayerzz



Category: Trollhunters (Cartoon)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Body Dysmorphic Disorder, F/M, Fluff, Jlaire Jlaire Jlaire!!!!!, Like Claire loves Jim a lot, MUAHAHAHAHA, Season 3 Spoilers, Supernatural Elements, and then I will rip out your heart with heartbreaking angst, picks up where season 3 left off, you'll get a cavity by how sweet they are
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-05
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-18 17:51:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,156
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14857409
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creepslayerzz/pseuds/creepslayerzz
Summary: It had been just over a week since the gang set off from Arcadia in search of a new heartstone across the country, and things are about to get a little weird for our trollhunters.





	1. Week One

It had been just over a week since the gang set off from Arcadia in search of a new heartstone across the country. Since the trolls could only travel at night, they hadn’t made much progress, barely having crossed the boarder into Nevada. However, everyone remained hopeful that they would make it to their new home before winter fell.

Sunrise was quickly approaching, and luckily everyone had managed to set up camp just in time before the sun peaked above the horizon. They had traveled a full five hours last night, which was actually pretty good progress considering that they are guiding hundreds of trolls across the country. Not to mention that they had to avoid large towns, and would spend hours a day finding the perfect secluded space to set up camp.

Everyone looked to Jim, their valiant trollhunter, for advice and support. And Claire couldn’t be prouder of her boyfriend. She offered to help out in any way she could, often  
taking trips to town to gather supplies for the journey, since she was the only one who could walk in daylight. And that’s where Claire found herself on this unbearably hot June day. 

It was a long walk to town, but she didn’t mind, it gave her plenty of time to think. And getting to be among humans again was refreshing. It was a little bit of normalcy to her otherwise unusual existence. Plus, when she was done gathering supplies for the journey she would get to spend the rest of her day however she wanted.

Claire was walking down the sidewalk back to camp when she noticed a little shop on the side of the road and decided to take a look. When she stepped through the door she was greeted by an old man that smelled of beer and cigarette smoke. As she began to wonder around the store she noticed the thin layer of dust that had settled over the goods. 

“How long has it been since someone cleaned this place?” she whispered aloud, all while trying to avoid touching anything for fear that f catching a disease or something.

She wondered around for a little while before deciding that she didn’t want to buy anything and made her way to leave. However, something in a glass case under the checkout counter caught her eye. A beautiful blue geode! 

“How much is that?” Claire inquired, slowly walking over to the man at the desk.

“You can have it for thirty,” the man said in a gruff voice, never looking up from the newspaper he was reading.

That would take a good portion of the money she brought with her, however, something deep in her gut told her that she couldn’t leave without it.

“Deal!” 

Claire dug in her purse and pulled out a crisp twenty-dollar bill and two fives, handing it to the man. He gingerly took it from her, shoving it in the cash register then proceeded to carefully remove the geode from its case. 

“Here you go young lady.”

She thanked the man kindly and stepped outside, removing the wrapping to get a better look at the geode. It was beautiful! So many different shades of blue, gleaming like diamonds against the sunlight.

“Kind of like Jim’s eyes,” she thought to herself. 

She could feel her face getting hot from the blush spreading across her cheeks at the thought. And speaking of Jim, she should probably get back to him and get some shut eye before they set off again at nightfall. Judging by the position of the sun it was just past noon.

Claire then proceeded to tuck the geode away in one of her bags, and headed toward the direction of base camp. With a spring in her step and a newfound joy from the treasure that she had acquired she was able to make it back in record time. 

As she approached the camp she realized that it was unusually quiet. Good! She was sick of dealing with bickering trolls all day. Just yesterday she has to break up a fight between Bagdwella and NotEnrique about who would get the last purple sock. Thankfully Blinky had interjected just in time, and was able to settle the dispute before she lost her mind.

Jim and Claire slept in separate tents for the first few nights, but that quickly changed when their nightmares got the better of them. Jim was too much of a good guy to ever impose, so Claire made the first move and snuck into his tent one night. They laid there silently wrapped in each other’s arms until they fell asleep. It was one of the best night sleeps that she had in a while.

Since then there was an unspoken agreement that this was a permanent arrangement. He chased away the nightmares for her and vise versa, plus she would be lying if she didn’t admit that it just felt nice to have her boyfriend by her side as she slept.

Claire entered the tent to find Jim fast asleep. As to not disturb him she carefully put down her bags and slid into her sleeping bag beside him. He was snoring softly, a week ago this would have annoyed her, but she grew to love it and missed it when he was too busy answering the call to get some shut eye with her.

Even though the air was hot and muggy she snuggled into his side, instantly feeling safe and at home. She placed her hand upon his heart as she would often find herself doing purely out of comfort and fell asleep to the gentle thrumming of his heart beneath her palm.

Before she knew it she was awake again. The sun was beginning to set and she knew that she would have to start packing up for the trip ahead, but something kept her from moving. 

Jim had his arm wrapped around her waist and she was tightly trapped against his chest. Curse his troll strength! She would have to wake him up anyways to get ready so she didn’t feel that guilty that she would have to wake him from his peaceful slumber.

“Jim,” she softly whispered 

Nothing.

“Jim,” she tried again only louder.

This time he shifted, awkwardly pinning her closer to his sleeping form. Now it was beginning to hurt.

Claire began to thrash around and let out a loud wail, “Jim Lake Jr, you’re crushing me you butt!”

His eyes shot open, and his grip released immediately. 

“I’m so sorry Claire!” he yelled frantically, scrambling out of his sleeping bag in a panic. “Did I hurt you?”

Claire could see the regret and sadness in his eyes. She knew that this was something that he was self conscious about. Because of his new troll form he was much stronger than he was before, and was often afraid that she would break if he held her too tight.

She grabbed his face in her hands, lowering his face to hers before pressing a gentle kiss on his cheek. 

“I’m fine, Jim,” she assured him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pulling him into her embrace.

She could hear his audible sigh of relief as he returned the gesture.

After a few moments he pulled away.

“Well, since we have a few moments there is something that we have to talk about,” he began, running his fingers nervously through his hair.

“Let me stop you right there!” Claire interjected, pressing her finger against his lips, actively shushing him.

Every single day since they began this journey Jim has always tried to convince Claire to go back to her normal life. “I can’t give you the life you deserve,” he would say. But frankly Claire didn’t care that they couldn’t have a normal life together. She loved him and that was that.

“Jim please listen to me,” Claire insisted, grasping both of his hands in her own.

“Do you know why I came with you?” 

Jim shook his head slightly, he looked like a sad puppy with his wife curious eyes.

“When we lost you to the Darklands I went nuts trying to get you back. I couldn’t really explain why at the time, but I couldn’t picture my life without you in it. When we got you back a protective nature came over me. I would follow you anywhere and do anything for you no matter the consequences.”

Claire could feel her palms start to get sweaty as her emotions began to overwhelm her.

“It wasn’t until you became a troll that I realized that I loved you. I love you so so much!”

“I love you too,” Jim replied. A great big smile spread across his face.

Claire took a deep breath, with tears beginning to form in her eyes she continued.

“And then I watched Morgana throw you around like a rag doll, and I remember being so scared that she would hurt you. And then I saw you die and something inside me broke. YOU became my emotional anchor to seal Morgana away.”

Tears were now flowing freely from her eyes.

“And I begged you to stay with me! I finally understood why you did all those self-sacrificial things for the people you cared about, because I would have gladly traded my life for yours in that moment.”

Jim, noticing that Claire was emotionally distressed instantly came to her aid. He scooped her up in his lap and began to play with her hair in an attempt to calm her. After a few minutes she was able to collect herself enough to continue.

“Afterwards I went home and begged my parents to let me go with you. The idea of us being apart was too much to bear. After a few phone calls, I found out that I was able to graduate early, and they let me go. And I’m never going to leave your side for as long as I live.”

Claire shifted so she was now face to face with her boyfriend. So close that she could feel his breath tickling her face, it sent delicious shivers down her spine. Then she made the bold move to close the gap.

Tangled in one another’s arms they let their emotions run free. This was the first time that they’ve kissed since Jim became a troll, and Claire was enjoying every second of it. It was as if he was her lifeline and if she let him go she would die.

It could have been minutes or hours; Claire didn’t give a flying fish! Until....

“Jim! Claire! There’s a problem!” Blinky screamed, running into their tent in a panic.

Both teens instantly broke apart, trying to look like they hadn’t just been sucking face for the past hour or so. Jim was the first to speak up.

“Blinky, what’s wrong?” 

“Bagdwella is missing!”


	2. Jim’s in Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The search for Bagdwella begins, but does it go as planned?

“Another night lost!” Jim exclaimed, slumping back into his sleeping bag.

Every night Blinky would do a headcount, and every once in a while someone would be missing. Most of the time their search for said troll would last until morning, halting their journey yet another day. If only everyone would be where they’re supposed to be when they’re meant to be. If only Jim could be so lucky!

“Okay, lets get this over with!”

Jim jumped to his feet, motioning for Blinky and Claire to follow him, and headed out into the night.

Thankfully the town was pretty quiet this evening, which made it easier for the gang to slip past unnoticed. Eventually they decided that splitting up would be make covering more ground quicker. So Claire would search the town square, Blinky would search the sewers, and Jim would search the alleyways.

Everything was going as planned. I mean, they hadn’t found Bagdwella yet, but they were making progress. Jim rounded the corner onto yet another abandoned alleyway, that seemed deserted, however, he had the feeling that someone was watching him.

Jim brushed off the feeling, and chalked it up to him just being paranoid about being caught. That was, until he heard a shuffle from his left. He looked behind the dumpster that the sound originated from to investigate, but found nothing except for trash and bugs.

Jim breathed a sigh of relief, and continued down the alleyways again. After about another hour or so of no luck he decided to head back. However, as he was reaching the end of the alleyway, he heard a group of men talking in hushed tones to one another in the alleyway over from him.

He hid behind a storage crate, thinking that they would just pass by and he could then continue on to meet up with Claire and Blinky. That was until his sensitive troll ears picked up on their conversation.

“The person on the phone said the monster was lurking around these backstreets.”

Monster? Were they talking about him? Who called them? His instincts told him to run for his life, however, his trollhunter training told him to fight this head on. They were just a bunch of humans anyways, how bad could it be?

Jim readied his sword, poised to attack. All was quiet for a while, the only sound that could be heard was the traffic in the distance. Them all at once hell broke loose! Almost a dozen men in full body hazmat suits ambushed him. He swung his sword at the closest man, however, it surprisingly didn’t make a dent in the suit. Now Jim was starting to panic, he hadn’t expected that to happen.

Suddenly a blinding pain took over his body originating from behind him, and Jim collapsed to the ground. He weakly peered to his right to see a man holding a stun gun. That must have been the thing that caused him such agony.

After catching his breath Jim slowly got up, aware of his electrically abused limbs, however, he was back on the ground in seconds. This time he didn’t have a chance to regain his composure before he was bound and gagged, making it near impossible for him to escape, despite his incredible newfound troll strength. And whenever he would try they would electrocute him to the brink of passing out.

He heard Claire calling to him from a few blocks away. He wished with everything in him that he could answer her, but all that escaped his mouth was muffled screams. Tears were steaming out of his eyes due to his frustration, and they only ceased when a sharp pain pierced his back, turning his world to black.

As Jim came to the first thing that he noticed was that he had an agonizing pounding migraine. He could also tell that a blinding light was above him, although he didn’t dare open his eyes to see his surroundings. What if the people who took him here were still around? What did they have in store for him?

Jim slowly moved his body to see if he was able to make a run for it, but as he had assumed he was bound by his wrists and ankles, unable to move. “Damn it!” he mentally screamed to himself.

“I know you’re awake,” a voice uttered from Jim’s left, making him freeze in place.

His heartbeat instantly skyrocketed, and he became terrified beyond belief. All of his senses came back tenfold, and he was overwhelmed. Jim couldn’t tell if he was shaking from the icy cold table he was strapped to, or from how scared he was.

Eventually he got the courage to open his eyes and look upon his captor. Honestly, the man wasn’t what he expected. In Jim’s mind he pictured a big burly man, dressed in all black keeping him in his underground layer or something.

But this man was dressed in scrubs like a doctor would be, and he was arranging his surgical tools on a steel table next to him. God he hoped that they weren’t for him! Although, the pit in his stomach suggested otherwise.

“You’re a curious specimen, half human DNA half something else,” the man said. That’s when Jim noticed his blood on a table in the distance, the man must have gotten a sample while he was unconscious.

The man scooted closer, now face to face with Jim. He made note of his clouded blue eyes and grey hair peaking out of his cap, whoever he was he seemed like he been doing this job for a long time. Jim was ripped out of his trance when the man took one of the surgical tools from the table and used it to look into Jim’s eyes. “Remarkable,” he muttered, and then sat back onto his chair and scribbled something onto a price of paper on a clipboard.

Jim’s heartbeat was racing in his chest, he pulled at the restraints again with no luck. He prayed to anyone who was listening to help him. Although his only hope right now was that his friends were on their way to save him.

The man eventually put down his pen and clipboard, and changed his gloves to a pair of new ones. His hand lingered over all of his shiny tools taking special caution to consider each one, until he settled on one that looked like a small buzzsaw. Oh hell no!

Jim began thrashing around, desperately trying to escape. Tears were streaming out of his eyes, as unbelievable terror began to set in. “Please. Please no,” he pleaded with the man.

The man scooted closer so he could look Jim in the eyes. “When you first came in we tried to remove your armor, to no avail.” He aimed the light above him down to get a better look at his chest plate.

“Even out strongest men couldn’t get it to budge, but I have a solution,” he held up the menacing tool in his hand. “To pursue with further tests, we must get this off!” 

Jim knew that his armor could not be broken, but everything has a breaking point. What if this man succeeded? What would happen to the amulet? Would his armor be permanently broken? Jim didn’t want to think about it.

The man slipped on a pair of glasses to protect his eyes from the sparks, but gave Jim no such luxury. And then, he started it up! The machine gave a shrill whine as it hit his armor. Sparks flew everywhere burning Jim’s exposed face and making him yelp in pain. 

A million thoughts were going through Jim’s head. He hadn’t even been able to remove the armor himself. What if it was a part of him? Was he going to die? He beat Gunmar and this was how he was going to go out!!!

The pressure of the machine was causing the metal to groan as if it was alive and screaming in pain. The amulet against his heart going crazy, reacting to his emotional state. Where was his sword? Why wasn’t it coming to him?

Eventually all his senses blurred into one, numbness taking over his form. Was this what shock was like? He felt his hearing slowly drifting away to nothingness.

The last thing that he heard was a sickening crack.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who took Jim? Are the gang coming to his aid? Find out in chapter 3.


	3. The Rescue Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Claire’s POV

The silence of the night was so deafening that Claire could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her skull. There wasn’t a single soul around town which was odd considering it was a Friday night. However, she had to take into consideration that they were in the middle of nowhere and it was close to midnight.

Damn it Bagdwella! How hard was it to stay put. And now, here they are wasting a whole night searching the town to find that stupid troll! If they had asked her, she would have left her sorry butt behind in an instant. But it was her duty as a Trollhunter to answer the call no matter what.

Her mind began to wonder off to other things. She though about her family, and how they were getting along without her. How was her little brother? She missed him so so so so much! What she wouldn’t give to hold that little guy in her arms again.

Her parents would text her often to make sure that she was okay. They worried for her, and she understood, I mean she left home at the tender age of sixteen! However, she wasn’t alone she had Blinky, NotEnrique, and Jim by her side.

Whenever she felt homesick they were always there to comfort her. Jim would always insist that she could leave any time she wanted. She could tell that he felt guilty for dragging her into this world, but Claire couldn’t be happier! If she hadn’t discovered the life of a trollhunter she would still be living her boring mundane existence as the perfect child and star student. And yeah, that may sound great to some but she always wanted a bigger purpose, and she found it here, with him.

And she needed to be here for Jim. He was having an obviously hard time adapting to his new life as a half troll, and he needed as much support and guidance as he could get. Whenever he would start to panic when thinking about his future or their future as a couple she would soothe him with sweet kisses and tender embraces.

She loved him, and that wasn’t going to change anytime soon. Even if life was more difficult now, she would be here to navigate it with him. They were a team, and nothing on Earth could pull them apart.

A scream cut through night air, instantly pulling Claire out of her thoughts. She would know that voice anywhere. “Jim,” she uttered, barely above a whisper. Ice filled her veins as she began to panic.

She began running as fast as her feet would carry her towards the source of the noise, nearly tripping over her own feet several times in the process. Tears began sliding down her cheeks as she registered another scream, this time closer.

“Jim!” she screamed as loud as her voice would allow through her ragged breaths.

Adrenaline took over her very being allowing her body to keep moving despite of how tired she was. Her only thoughts were of getting to Jim. She prayed that he would be okay, but thoughts of darker circumstances filled her mind.

Another scream echoed throughout the alleyways, it was as if his voice was all around her and she didn’t know which way to turn next. “Jim, hold on I’m coming!” Claire decided to make a left and hoped with all her heart that she was heading the right way. 

After a few minutes of running into dead ends she realized that she didn’t hear him anymore. “Jim! Jim, please answer me!” she called in desperation. When there was no reply a wave of hopelessness crashed over her.

All her adrenaline disappeared at once and she sank down to her knees feeling drained and hollow. How could she let him slip through her fingers? She sat there sobbing against the brick wall of an alley, her head buried in her knees, until there were no tears left to cry. And that was how Blinky found her.

“I was looking everywhere for you and Jim..... Claire are you alright? he questioned noticing her sad demeanor. Claire glanced up at him with here swollen tear filled eyes and as if a light bulb went off in his head he all at once he understood. “It’s master Jim isn’t it? Where is he?”

She used the sleeve of her sweater to wipe away the remaining tears, and then was eventually able to utter the words, “I don’t know.”

“It wouldn’t have anything to do with this weird looking automobile I saw earlier with the letters F B and I on it, would it?”

If Claire wasn’t terrified already, then she was at her wits end right now! She tried to convince herself that Jim couldn’t have been taken by them, and then she realized why else would they be here in the middle of nowhere in the middle of the night? But where would they have taken him?

Claire pulled out her phone and began searching government facilities in the area, and wouldn’t you know what came up? Area freakin 51! When she put the location into google maps she saw that it was a full 3 days walk away, and she was not about to let her boyfriend suffer whatever they had planned for him for three whole days! They would have to rent a car, but how?

Claire didn’t have her license yet, only her learners permit, and they didn’t have a glamour mask anymore. Think Claire, think! And then it hit her, “Blinky, I saw an abandoned car a few blocks over. There might be a chance of it not working anymore, but if if it is and we took it at least no one would be looking for it.” 

This plan was so risky. If she was caught with a car under someone else’s name, or driving without a license she could get into big trouble. Not to mention, if they found Blinky in the car with her he might be taken as well. But Jim’s life was in the balance right now, and getting thrown in jail was a risk she was willing to take.

They found the car exactly where Claire had said she last saw it. It was a grey Chevy pickup truck, and that’s as much as she could decipher since she didn’t know much about cars. Blinky thankfully was able to jump start it, but it only had about a half a tank of gas. “Whatever” Claire thought to herself, they would cross that barrier once they got there.

Once they were both buckled in Claire pulled off onto the road in front of them, heading towards an uncertain fate. Blinky was in the passengers seat giving Claire directions off of her phone. Luckily she had found a hat and coat in the back, although dirty, was just enough coverage for no one to give a second glance at the troll sitting next to her.

They ran out of gas a few hours later, however, they were lucky enough to be able to fill up without gathering any suspicion. Claire only had cash and had to pay inside. She thought her heart was going to burst through her chest at how nervous she was handing the clerk her twenty dollar bill. Luckily, he didn’t bat an eye, and they were back on the road within minutes.

A few more hours rolled by before the road unexpectedly came to an unexpected end. “Destination!” her GPS signaled. Why didn’t she think of this before, of course her GPS wouldn’t just lead them up to the doors of Area 51. And when she got there did she expect them just to waltz in and say “hi, I’m just here to pick up Jim.” Man, did she feel like an idiot right now!

The only way she was able to go was left, so she turned and followed the road down to a little town that was obviously some kind of a tourist destination for Area 51 fanatics, since every billboard and shop window were filled with pictures of aliens. Eventually they drove past a little restaurant and Claire couldn’t ignore how good it smelled, she didn’t realize how hungry she was until now.

She pulled in to the parking lot figuring that food would help her think about what to do next. “Want anything Blink?”

“Thank you, but I’m good fair Claire,” he replied giving here an encouraging thumbs up.

She got out and shut the door behind her before making her way towards the restaurant. It seemed like a little Mom and Pop restaraunt, you know, the kind that you find in the south that sells comfort food. Heck, it could sell pigs feet and cow tongue for all she cared and she probably would still eat it.

Once inside the delicious aroma increased tenfold, and soft country music filled her ears. She sat down at a barstool and grabbed a menu. Everything looked so good, but she had to have the chicken and dumplings, they were her absolute favorite.

Once she had ordered she got on her phone to kill time when she heard a voice that she recognized. “No way anyone she knew would be out here,” she thought. To verify, she slowly turned toward the voice and saw Aja talking to an older woman.

“Aja,” she called before realizing what she had done.

Aja turned towards the voice, her face instantly lit up, “Krel come over here,” she motioned to him, he was sitting in a corner booth a few feet away, “it’s our friend Claire!”

They walked over to her and Aja instantly envelopes her in a hug. “What are you doing here?” Aja questioned.

“Well it’s a long story, but let’s just say I’m on a road trip and decided to take a little break.” Yep, that answer sounded safe. “How about you guys?”

“We’re here for what I believe you guys call a family reunion,” replied Krel.

“In the middle of nowhere?” questioned Claire with a little chuckle.

“Our family are very private people,” said Aja.

“This is my answer,” Claire thought to herself. I mean, what are the odds of finding them here! They’re geniuses, they were able to redirect the Arcadian power grid for heavens sake! Maybe, just maybe they could help her.

Claire let out a shaky breath before beginning hoping that what she was about to say wouldn’t scare them away, “Okay, when I said that I was on a road trip, that’s not exactly true. Do you guys remember the battle with the,” Claire looked around to make sure no one was looking before mouthing “trolls.”

“Of course!” Aja piped up, “why would you ask?”

“Because what you didn’t know it that the troll who was in the armor and wielding the sword was actually Jim. Jim is a troll.”

Aja and Krel stood dumbfounded, but nodded in encouragement for her to continue.

“He’s this being called the Trollhunter, he protects trolls and humans alike from any harm.”

“That surprisingly makes a lot of sense,” said Krel. Aja motioned in agreement.

“After that battle I left with Jim to help guide the trolls on a pilgrimage of sorts, but last night he was captured and I need help getting him back, and I would be so grateful if you guys could help me out.” 

Aja hugged Claire again seeing that she was in visible distress, “We’ll do whatever we can to help you,” she soothed.

“I guess we have the time,” Krel agreed. “So where is he?”

“Area 51.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re on their way for you Jim! Just hold out a little longer buddy!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked chapter 1! I plan for this story to be about 20 or so chapters long. This chapter was mostly just for world building purposes, next comes the real action.


End file.
